By the release of “IF” earlier this year, all bets tipping 2017 as Davido’s year had been cast and set in stone. Since the singer inked a global distribution deal with Sony last year, many expected the singer’s growth to be incremental in outward push of the music towards new markets. Instead the O.B.O has intensified efforts to retain hold on the African market by doubling down on the Nigerian factor and easing himself into a broad range of concepts on simple ideas that can only work with Afropop.

For his latest single, “Fall”, Kiddominant builds on the mid-tempo synth-based instrumentation popularised by Tekno’s “Pana” last year. But Davido’s long-time collaborator knows the O.B.O’s gruff voice also favours drums and acoustics. So it comes no surprise, that high life guitar samples are peppered over the swing of drums snares, kicks and bass drops. Davido’s vocals are layered and harmonized for a bridge reminiscent of Duncan Mighty’s auto-tune waxed “Obianuju” , while the soul of “Fall” is held together by inherently Davido-like brags and shiny high-life inspired touches.

There have been hints but no word of an album release in a near future for Davido, so it’s hard to tell what the O.B.O is really up to. However, “IF” already gave a glimpse of what nostalgia infused modern Afropop sounds like when underlined with genuinely African themes. “Fall”, leans a little further into the same concept, offering the past and present with a window into the future; cascading elements, more or less that glimpse genre evolution at its best.

Stream “Fall” via Apple Music below

Listen to Popcaan and Davido’s “My Story”